WHO pandemic review panel critical of China, WHO delays
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Reading Time: < 1minuteA blocked entrance to Huanan seafood market, where the coronavirus that can cause COVID-19 is believed to have first surfaced, is seen in Wuhan, Hubei province, China March 30, 2020. Picture taken March 30, 2020. (File Photo: REUTERS/Aly Song)
GENEVA (Reuters)
An independent panel reviewing the global handling of the COVID-19 pandemic said on Monday (January 18) that Chinese officials could have applied public health measures more forcefully in January and criticised the World Health Organization (WHO) for not declaring an international emergency until January 30.
In an interim report the panel of experts, led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said: “The global pandemic alert system is not fit for purpose”, adding: “The World Health Organization has been underpowered to do the job”.
It called for a “global reset” and said it would provide recommendations in a final report to health ministers in May.
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